Broadband Forum says Europe leads the way on IPTV

Almost half of the world's IPTV customers are in Europe, a study has shown.

Broadband-connected digital TV services are more popular in Europe than any other region, according to new research.

The Broadband Forum revealed the global customer base of internet protocol TV (IPTV) products now stands at 55 million, with Europe accounting for 23.5 million of them.

Robin Mersh, chief executive of the organisation, said operators in Europe have succeeded in maintaining a three-year high for IPTV as they have performed stronger than their counterparts in other regions with regards to selling additional services to existing customers.

Increasing access to FTTx fibre optic broadband technology was cited as one of the primary drivers of IPTV uptake across the continent.

Oliver Johnson, chief executive of telecoms analyst Point Topic, commented: "The future of Europe, at least for the next five years, is going to be dominated by FTTx."

While IPTV has yet to catch on in the UK on any great scale, it could prove increasingly popular once YouView - a combination of Freeview and video-on-demand services - hits the market.

The YouView joint venture, which includes BT, the BBC and TalkTalk, is hoping to launch its first commercial product before the start of the Olympic Games.

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